Change
by xDarakuxShitaxTenshix
Summary: Sometimes, in order to survive you have to change, whether it be for the better or for worse. Team Seven's going to have to learn this. One way or another.
1. Training

Change

Chapter One: Training

SASUKE

With every blow he received from Orochimaru another face would flash before his eyes, fueling his rage and distracting him further. _Punch._ A silver haired man with a single eye buried in an orange book. _ Kick_. A yellow haired boy glaring at him as they stood above the water at the Valley of the End. _Slash_. A pink haired girl with tears pouring down her face. _Stab._ A red eyed man whose mere _name_ could launch him into fits of rage. Sasuke skidded across the ground and laid in a panting heap in the grass.

"You are distracted Sasuke-kun. We will stop for today. Make sure you are not distracted tomorrow." Orochimaru instructed.

"Hn." Sasuke clenched his fists and stood to bow before turning to go back to his assigned quarters within Orochimaru's base.

Sasuke walked carefully down the hall, avoiding other ninja as he went. His room beckoned to him and he shut the door behind him before sliding down the door to the dirt covered floor. The first day he'd come here played before his eyes.

"_Welcome Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru purred._

"_Orochimaru." Sasuke nodded._

"_I heard you had an interesting altercation with the Uzumaki boy before you got here. Did you kill him?" Orochimaru's tongue slid across his lips and Sasuke suppressed a shudder._

"_No." Sasuke replied._

"_Why not?"_

"Why not?" Sasuke mused. Many of the sound ninja had heard of his battle with Naruto before his arrival. And the question they always asked was, "Why didn't you kill him?"

"_They said you had the perfect opportunity."_

"_He was lying there unconscious."_

"_Why didn't you kill him?"_

"_Why?"_

"Kakashi was coming, I would never have made it out of there. I _won't_ be Itachi. He's not my best friend. I don't _have_ a best friend." Sasuke whispered. They were excuses. As weak and fake as Kakashi's had been.

"Sasuke-kun, I trust there won't be any more distractions today." Orochimaru hissed.

"No."

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NARUTO

Jaraiya sat before Naruto as he repeatedly made rasengans with his clone. Jaraiya sighed as he noticed Naruto beginning to tire.

"Naruto."

"What?" Naruto snapped.

Jaraiya's eyes narrowed at the blonde. "Don't take your anger out on me. I know what it's like to have a teammate abandon you. To not care anymore. To try to kill you."

Naruto glared at the ground. "Sasuke cares about us, I _know_ he does."

Jaraiya's eyes softened. "Go back to the hotel, we'll pick this up again tomorrow. Don't wait up."

Naruto slowly made his way back to the hotel. Faces flashed before his eyes as he made his way through the crowded streets. Sakura sobbing and begging him to bring Sasuke back. Kakashi's fake smile as he told him Sasuke made his choice, that Sasuke had tried to kill him. Sasuke's face as he told Naruto he didn't give a damn about him or anyone in the leaf village anymore.

Naruto slowly climbed the stairs and made his way to the door down the hallway.

Naruto let himself slide down the wall of the hotel room he and Jaraiya had rented. The Akatsuki was after him. They wanted to kill him. Team Seven was gone. Sasuke was gone. He didn't keep his promise to Sakura.

Naruto replayed the final fight with Sasuke over and over in his head. He knew he lost, to Sasuke, he'd been unconscious.

"I know you care Sasuke. I wasn't unconscious, I was still awake, if only barely. You thought I was beaten, you though I was asleep. So... Why didn't you kill me Sasuke?"

"Feel better Naruto?" Jaraiya asked the next morning.

"Spar with me ero-sennin."

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SAKURA

Sakura crashed into yet another tree. "Sakura! I accepted you as a student with a promise that you would take this seriously!" Tsunade scolded as she landed on her feet in front of the aching pink haired girl.

"I'm sorry Shishou." Sakura bowed her head in shame.

Tsunade's eyes softened. "You're thinking about them again, aren't you?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes." Sakura whispered. Tears gathered in her eyes but she fought them back and angrily wiped them away.

Sakura stood on shaky legs. "Again!" She shouted.

_Pay attention!_ Naruto's bandaged face flashed before her eyes as he apologized for not bringing Sasuke back. Sakura hit the ground and felt a bruise begin to form on her back. _Get up!_ She lunged out of the way as Tsunade split the ground with her monstrous strength. Kakashi's masked and sorrowful face flashed before her eyes. Tsunade grabbed the back of her dress and threw her into another tree. _You have to change!_ Sasuke's face flashed in front of her eyes, the same smirk twisted his lips as the night he left her on the bench. Sakura's dress was torn and getting in her way. She struggled to her feet and ripped away the bothersome fabric, leaving her in a black tank top and capri spandex she always wore beneath her dress. The fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the hospital roof flashed in her vision. "Again!" She shouted as she ran toward her sensei.

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AUTHOR POV

Three different voices echoed as they all trained with their respective sensei's. "I _will_ get stronger!" Sasuke slammed a chidori into the chest of a sound ninja Orochimaru assigned to spar with him. "I _will_ _never_ give up!" Naruto landed a punch on Jaraiya and followed through with a rasengan he hadn't needed a clone to make. "I _will _show them my strength!" Sakura punched the ground where her sensei had been standing, her fist filled with as much chakra as she could spare. The ground shattered around her.


	2. Origins

Change

Chapter Two: Origins

SASUKE

Trauma causes change.

Sasuke was once a happy, smiling, optimistic child who worshiped his older brother. The night Itachi killed hiss clan was the darkest day of Sasuke's young life, and continued to be for many years. That night something broke inside of Sasuke and he knew, if he was going to survive in the cruel world he lived in, he would have to change. And change he did.

He no longer smiled, no longer held an optimistic view, no longer worshiped his brother. He scowled, he was a pessimist, and he hated his brother. He vowed to himself that he always would.

Then _they_ showed up in his life. They brought back the light to his dark existence and he found himself changing again. He was laughing, slightly, he was smirking, he was content, if not happy. Then, he was protecting them. The bridge mission, he leaped between Naruto and a swarm of senbon, knowing this could kill him, and his dream of killing Itachi would be left unfinished. The Sand/Sound Invasion when Gaara had Sakura pinned to a tree was where he once again allowed his dream to be pushed aside for the well being of his teammates. "Save Sakura if it's the last thing you do! I'll delay him as long as I can!" He could barely stand, but he'd let himself be sacrificed if only they would be okay.

Sasuke slowly came to the conclusion that these changes were making him weak. He left the village soon after, leaving behind a crying Sakura, an angry Naruto, and a sad Kakashi.

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NARUTO

Changes cause change.

They hated him, and he didn't even know why. Brat. Demon. Bastard. Their words echoed in his ears and day by day he grew more hopeless and angry. "I didn't do anything!" He wanted to shout. But he never would.

The night Iruka confronted Mizuki, his own childhood friend for Naruto's sake, was the night something blossomed inside Naruto, and he began to change.

Being a ninja was all he'd ever wanted, but not for any other reason than recognition, the same could be said for his dream to be Hokage. In a way, that would've been his own revenge on the villagers. He'd be the leader of them all, the same people who'd put him down over and over as a small child. But soon, he found a new reason to be a ninja, to be Hokage. So his could protect his precious people. Iruka, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune, Ero-sennin, and all the others. He had a new reason to train until he dropped everyday, to get stronger, so he could protect him, so they wouldn't have to feel pain as he had.

The fight with Sasuke on the bridge was when something snapped inside of Naruto, as well as the night Sasuke defected from the village. His drive grew, his determination tripled. He didn't care that the Akatsuki were after him. He'd let Ero-sennin believe he was getting stronger to protect himself, or even for his dream to be Hokage, but that would never be the truth anymore. Now, he'd get strong to fulfill his promise to Sakura, to bring Sasuke home. "He's lost in the darkness, like I used to be. I'll be his light now, just like he, Sakura-chan, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had become mine!" Naruto slammed his fist into a tree as he trained into the wee hours of the morning.

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SAKURA

People cause change.

When Sakura was younger she was often teased for her appearance. This made her into a painfully shy and self conscious girl. One day her guardian angel appeared in the form of a blue eyed blond six year old. After they became friends, Sakura slowly started her changes, becoming more outgoing, and coming out of her shell.

But then a cloud appeared on the horizon, a cloud named Sasuke Uchiha. She ended her friendship because they both liked the same boy. She became more focused on gaining the attention on said boy instead of focusing on becoming a ninja like she always wanted. She gave up quite a bit for this boy, and he never even noticed.

The chunin exams marked an important change in Sakura. Instead of letting herself be protected, she protected her teammates. Even though she was outnumbered, outclassed, and outdone, she never gave up. She let him hit her over and over, because if he was busy hitting or even killing her, he wouldn't be harming her teammates.

The night Sasuke left something shattered in Sakura. She begged Naruto to bring him back, and she waited and cried. "Useless." She whispered to herself while she waited. Naruto returned defeated and half-dead, the rest of the squad hanging on to their lives by the skin of their teeth. For weeks she would whisper, "Selfish" and "Pathetic" to herself, until finally, she did something about it. She asked Tsunade to train her, and in the next few years, Sakura would continue to train. At first, she too, only wanted recognition, but that would change, just as she had. She didn't give a damn about recognition anymore. Now all she cared about was saving and protecting the lives of the leaf village and her fellow shinobi.

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Some of us change at the drop of a hat, others take a much longer process. But we all change with each new situation, each new friend, new dream, new heartbreak, we change. Sometimes it's subtle, and barely noticeable. Other times, the changes are so big that we are hardly recognizable. The big changes are the most important ones, they morph a person from the inside out, until they're so different, it's like they're someone else.


	3. History Likes To Repeat Itself

Change

Chapter Three: History Likes To Repeat Itself

SASUKE

It's been three years since Sasuke left the village to join Orochimaru. A now sixteen year old Sasuke walked down the hallway of the sound base with silent footsteps, patiently listening to all the chatter around him. Anything he deems useful or interesting is stored in his memory for later analysis.

"Sasuke." Sasuke paused at Kabuto's call. He turned to face the other ninja and waited.

"Orichimaru would like to speak with you." Kabuto said.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted before changing course and making his way toward Orochimaru's room.

NARUTO

Naruto stood atop the Fourth Hokage's sculpted head and gazed proudly at his village. He'd been gone for three years and admitted he'd missed this place. Villagers buzzed around the marketplace, yelling out sales and buying goods. Naruto smiled and warmth filled his chest. This was his home and these were his people, he'd protect them to his last breath.

A grin stretched his face as a flash of pink entered his vision. A solid punch to the face wiped the grin off quick enough. Pain exploded in his jaw as he flew through the air and skid across the ground before slamming into a boulder. He sat up and held his jaw, _What the hell was that for?_ He wondered. His thoughts screeched to a stop though when a familiar pinkette lunged toward him. He tensed and closed his eyes, waiting for whatever pain she decided to inflict upon him. A weight settled against him and he slowly opened his eyes. Sakura was kneeling between his spread legs and had wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I missed you Naruto." She whispered and his eyes softened.

It was true he'd had a very large crush on this girl but after years of talking with Ero-sennin about girls and how they made you feel he realized he didn't love Sakura as a girl. Honestly he didn't think he ever had. Being an orphan subjected to years of isolation had left him unable to really understand how feelings worked and their subtle differences. He knew he looked at Iruka as a family member, the same could be said for Kakashi and Sasuke. Sakura always confused him, once he'd asked Iruka why he felt warmth in his heart when he looked at a girl. He never said it was Sakura, though Iruka undoubtedly knew it was. Iruka told him it meant he liked the girl.

Naruto wasn't so different from Sakura when he was younger. Sakura liked Sasuke because as a young girl she was supposed to have a crush by then. Just as Sakura chose the first person who caught her eye so had Naruto. Naruto chose Sakura to have a crush on and when they were on a team and steadily spending more and more time together the warmth started appearing in his chest. It wasn't until much later Ero-sennin explained the different kinds of love, and he realized that he did love Sakura, but as a sister only.

Now, as Sakura held him and expressed her happiness at having him back Naruto felt the warmth return and spread. _This is my sister, and she's happy to see me._ He thought. It didn't matter to him how violent she could be, because he knew she loved him as much as he loved her. She just proved it by admitting something she would never have even thought let alone said aloud years before. _I missed you._

Naruto hugged her back. "I missed you too Sakura-chan."

SAKURA

She'll never be able to explain how horrible it feels to be surrounded by people and yet feel as if pieces of you are missing. Sakura was no fool. She'd formed strong bonds with her teammates over their time together. When Sasuke left he took a piece of her heart with him. The day Naruto left to train with Jaraiya another piece of her trailed after him. Kakashi held the last piece and she clung to that, but day by day that piece shriveled and ached. Sakura was no fool, she knew when someone was avoiding her. Kakashi had been avoiding her for the last three years. She knew she was never his top priority but she had hoped that they had formed even a small bond on his end. Sakura's were like chains, tying her permanently to each male. But it seemed theirs to her was but a small thread, easily broken and disposed of.

When Naruto returned to the village and she saw him standing above them all, she was filled with so many different emotions she didn't know what to do, so she did what she always did when she couldn't handle her emotions, she lashed out. She felt guilty for hitting him, she always did no matter what she said about him being an idiot. Then she hugged him. _He must think I'm bipolar or something._ Sakura sighed and whispered that she missed him. Her stomach fluttered when he returned the sentiment. She slowly pulled away and sat between his legs. They were so close, but it wasn't awkward and she could tell he'd let go of those ridiculous crush like feelings. "I'm sorry," She said. "I lash out when I can't handle my emotions, which isn't an excuse and I should have never done it, I'm sorry." Sakura bowed her head in shame and waited for him to pass judgment on her. _I deserve it,_ She admitted._ All those years I hurt him, I deserve every ounce of hatred._

"It's alright Sakura-chan, we all make mistakes right?" Naruto grinned at her and a smile stretched along her own face.

"One day you'll be a great Hokage Naruto, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to get you there. You made me a promise of a lifetime, that you would bring Sasuke back to me, to _us_. Now I want to make a promise to _you_." Sakura paused and ran her tongue along her suddenly dry lips. "I promise you that I won't be dead weight anymore." Sakura held up her hand as Naruto opened his mouth to interrupt. "I will help you bring Sasuke back to his home, because we are a_ team_ and teammates stick together no matter what." Sakura paused again and watched Naruto's slow smile. "I also promise that _when_ you are Hokage, you will always have me to rely on. I will _always_ be there to help you with whatever you need. It's my turn to protect _you_."

SASUKE

"You wanted to see me?" Sasuke asked.

"Yessss Ssssassssuke-kun, it'ssss time for me to take your body." Orochimaru hissed.

The room sealed shut behind him and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the snake-like man before him. Sasuke smirked, "We'll see about that."

KAKASHI

The cenotaph was the same as it had ever been. Years of standing before this stone for hours allowed Kakashi to know every inch of it. If Kakashi ever went blind he'd still be able to stand before this stone and find the names of his own precious people who'd been ripped from him far too soon for his liking. Guilt gnawed at him for years, he'd failed them all. The day Team Seven passed his test, the very team who resembled his former one so much, he silently swore he would never fail them.

At first, he tried to keep them at a distance, he had a history with being a failure, so if he failed again he didn't want it to hurt quite as much as it had before. They each wormed their way into his heart though, and he was powerless to stop it.

Sasuke, he saw so much of himself in that kid. Stiff, stubborn, and so very angry at the hand fate had dealt him.

Naruto, he had more than one reason to flinch every time he saw the energetic blonde. Not only was he the spitting image of his former sensei, who was also Naruto's father, his personality resembled so much to that of Obito's. Just the way he and Sasuke interacted struck fear into Kakashi's heart.

Sakura, she was more difficult to place than the other two. She was most certainly Rin in his eyes. Perhaps that's why he never trained her, opting to protect her as he failed to do before.

The new team seven, Kakashi was sure, was supposed to be how he atoned for his sins with his former team. Every day he watched them grow he became more and more afraid. Fear gripped his heart and squeezed when he witnessed Sasuke and Naruto's fights becoming more and more serious. The boys rarely held back before but the fight on the rooftop of the hospital was the final straw. They used deadly attacks on each other, and nearly killed Sakura in the process. Kakashi shuddered to think what would've happened to the pinkette if he hadn't shown up.

Kakashi's heart sunk when he witnessed both Sasuke's and Naruto's indifference to the fact they'd almost killed each other, not to mention poor defenseless Sakura.

In those days Kakashi stood before the cenotaph and prayed as hard as he could. Prayed that his new team wouldn't make the same mistakes the previous generations had. He prayed and hoped but each day nerves fluttered in his stomach and his hope for them diminished as he watched them walk the same paths their predecessors did. Now all that was left was the hope that their chosen roads led to better things than misery and death.

Years later, he admitted that he failed them, just as he had failed his own team. Sasuke betrayed the leaf village, and Naruto and Sakura found new sensei's, ones who would actually teach them unlike himself. Kakashi had been so preoccupied with trying to keep Sasuke from going down the same dark path that he had that he forgot about his other students. Naruto was the first to seek a new teacher, and then Sakura followed, choosing the Hokage herself. It was for the best, he supposed, with all the changes the three of them had undergone he would no longer be able to do anything for them. The three of them were destined for a greatness even he couldn't have predicted, nor could he have helped shape them into it.

_Sasuke was right,_ He grudgingly admitted. They were each meant for different paths. Sasuke was undoubtedly on a dark path that could very well break him, but it was his choice. He chose to betray them all. He nearly killed Naruto, just as the two of them had nearly killed Sakura on the roof of that damned hospital. _Sasuke, you haven't realized it yet, but you're walking the same path as your brother. You are becoming your own worst enemy._ Kakashi mused.

Kakashi remembered the young ANBU Captain Sarutobi had asked him to look after upon his entrance to ANBU. He behaved similar to Sasuke when the date of the massacre drew closer and closer. He became unfocused, sloppy, he started making mistakes even a genin would have winced at. When Sasuke showed similar symptoms, Kakashi was filled with dread, he made one last ditch effort to change Sasuke's mind. If he could just plant a small seed of doubt in Sasuke's mind about leaving then he wouldn't go. But he failed. Again.

_So very alike, _Kakashi thought as he observed Naruto and Sakura work together to defeat him in this spar he'd staged to see just how much they've grown in three years, and to see just how much they resembled their masters. Seeing how Naruto and Sakura now took after their masters he knew Sasuke couldn't be much better.

He glanced at the stone again and sent one final prayer above, begging for anyone up there to hear it and take pity on his cursed team. He knew it was useless as soon as he'd done it but that didn't stop him from trying. After all, he knew better than most how history liked to repeat itself.


End file.
